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Saturday, April 12, 2014

Living the Pantry Lifestyle - The emergency bag continued and some links

One website suggests keeping a small mp3 player in your bag.

Have you started putting together an emergency bag? Don't think of it as a "bug out bag" for then you may never do it.

Think of it as a place where important emergency items are all put together that happens to be portable enough to grab and go.

Do it now. Don't delay.

I showed you last Saturday how I started putting together my emergency bag. I'm still slowly adding to the emergency bag as I think of items to put in it. I don't have an extra set of eyeglasses but I do have extra reading glasses! So one extra set of reading glasses has been added to the bag.

When I need new eye glasses, I will place my older glasses in the bag, too. I must have glasses to read but the bifocals are mostly used for driving... and even then they are not required by law. So save your extra prescription glasses for your bag and reading glasses are quite inexpensive at many stores.

My husband brought home a huge box of Nutra Grain Strawberry Bars from a food pantry last week. They were just a couple weeks past their sell by date (which is why they went to a pantry), so I put all of them into a gallon size Ziploc bag and added them to the emergency bag. Of course, attention will be kept as to the rotation of any food products as needed.

I read a very good article this week about preparing for emergencies and they suggested buying an inexpensive mp3 player and loading it with favorite music and even audiobooks for emergencies when there is no power or one has to "bug out". Assuming one keeps their mp3 player charged.

Mytiny IPod Shuffle* is still just over $50.00 but even then I could not afford to leave it just for an emergency bag. But since reading that article, it is now going to go on the list I tape to the kitty carrier! I also realized I should add my camera to that list as well as insulin and meds. Yes, I would forget them in a hurry.

But I don't forget my cat.

Which reminds me, I've also decided to continue working on typing all my favorite family recipes and putting them into a three ring binder. Copies will be given to my daughter and daughter-in-law but a copy will also go into the documents box.

I still need to purchase a small radio for the bag and it should have one or two more flashlights as the one there now is not all that bright. Oh, and extra batteries. But only as the budget permits.

You may be able to tell already that my husband and I have decided a second bag would be a very good thing even for just the two of us. So I'll be checking the aisle in Goodwill and at the Salvation Army for large backpacks or another duffel bag.

Even if we don't need them to leave the house, just having some of these items in one place during an emergency is a very good idea!

Now, here are a few good links I have come across recently:50 Last Minute Ways to Prepare for an Emergency - here. This will provide a great list of reminders one may need in an emergency bag.Prevent Infections, What to Take to an Emergency Shelter - here. Once again this provides a small list of reminders for an emergency bag.

How to Make a 45 Day Emergency Candle from Crisco - here. This was perhaps the easiest explanation I found that was not on YouTube. But if you google the title, there are thousands of instructions, including a lot of YouTube videos.

Somewhere in my research recently, I came across an article where they said how to make these into smaller versions but I can't find it. I will continue to look. As with anything with a flame, there is a fire hazard but how easy it would be to keep some Crisco and wicks available if needed!

5 comments:

I have to track down my "old" glasses -- the ones with the first bifocals (that I never got used to). New glasses are coming this week (with bifocals that I now need). Most of my glasses are single vision right now.

If you don't have spares...Zenni Optical does glasses fairly cheap. Just pick out a frame and type in your prescription. We've been wearing them almost exclusively for several years. I think the husband's last pair with bifocals was around $50 (with nice frames)

Good idea on the candle. I was thinking of those tall ones with Catholic pics (can't think of the right word--I'm Lutheran). I found them at The Dollar Tree with or without decoration.

It might be handy to have a crank style phone charger. As well as extra cords and a 12v adaptor for everything tucked in the bag to go. Extra charging cords can be had very cheaply on ebay. I bought a stand-along cell phone battery as well....I need to look that up and do something with it. $7 maybe?

I would have to think about an inverter. They are not terribly expensive and with an extension cord and a power strip, you can do a lot of lighting etc off your car.

One thing I came up with today from Goodwill was one of those little powered coolers that you plug into the lighter in the car. $6.99. I have to see if it works or not, but would be handy for those with insulin issues I think.

And don't forget a small dishpan for Victoria with some litter too, she will need her own go bag. lol Divas are like that.

I'd be sure to stick in a bottle of Thieves, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Echinacea. That article by the doctor was a little alarming.

This information is great for times when one has warning. There was just a huge tenement fire this week with five buildings burning down displacing twenty families in each. People can be displaced for a variety of reasons.

Thanks for all the thoughts you've put into this. Now I need some chamomile tea. Oh add chamomile tea to the list.

Brenda,Thank you for the links, they are bookmarked to read later this weekend. Looks like a lot of good information.

Another suggestion is to check and see if your chargers for cell phones, Kindles or ipods are interchangeable. My cell phone charger is the same as my Kindle so I can get by with one in the house and the other packed in my bag. This also means the car charger for my cell also works with the Kindle (I tried it to be sure) so this would again be something for a back up plan for charging electronics.

Also, not sure if it was mentioned here but keeping some cash in small bills and change in the BOB is also a good idea. We keep some at home, but I'm moving part of it to the bags for just in case.

I was also wondering if a small multi plug extension cord might be a good idea? If your someplace that has limited outlets for charging doing several at once would be very helpful.

I'm also adding a mug and a bag of my favorite teas, both hot and cold instant ones. I don't drink a lot of coffee, but would have a hard time going without tea!

I wish you knew how much I look forward to you posts, especially the weekend ones!